Inside a Beautiful Fort Greene Walk-Up
Just as some people begin to resemble their dogs (or choose dogs that resemble them) many apartments are unmistakable reflections of the people who live there. Such is the case with Adrian Danchig-Waring and his partner Pontus Lidberg: their lovely Fort Greene walk-up with its elegant light and modern lines suits the dance and filmmaker duo perfectly. When I stopped by on a warm, early fall day, Adrian was planning a dinner of baked tomatoes and zucchini-hazelnut salad with fresh herbs from their porch garden.
Where are you from and what originally brought you to New York?
I grew up in Northern California and moved to New York in September 2001 to attend the School of American Ballet. The following year I accepted an apprenticeship at The New York City Ballet and have worked there since. Pontus was born and raised in Stockholm. He moved here incrementally between 2008 and January 2011 when we bought this apartment.
How did you and Pontus meet?
We met working together in the context of a Choreographic Workshop at the Vail International Dance Festival during the Summer of 2008. Pontus was commissioned by Morphoses (the dance company founded by Christopher Wheeldon) with whom I was dancing at the time. He cast me in his work. It was all very professional at the outset, but there was a undeniable connection beyond the work.
What kind of projects are you each working on right now?
We are right now collaboratively preparing for a six-city tour in Sweden of a new work of Pontus’ titled Within (Labyrinth Within). It is a diptych evening of dance and film, which includes Pontus’ most recent film Labyrinth Within starring Wendy Whelan. We premiered the work in June at the Jacob’s Pillow dance festival. It will have its New York premiere, followed by a weeklong run, at the Joyce Theater November 7-11. Between the Swedish tour and the Joyce season I will be in Cuba performing at the International Ballet Festival in Havana. I am in rehearsals now for these performances where I will debut in George Balanchine’s Apollo. Meanwhile, I am currently performing in the New York City Ballet’s Stravinsky/Balanchine Season at Lincoln Center. It is a very busy and very fulfilling period of work.
